Misadventures
by Swift Sketch - Jadazzle
Summary: Equestria is a realm of many things. Shrouded in mystery and cloaked by magic, it is often the place to let imaginations run wild. A place where just about anything feasible can happen. And for an unfortunate amount of brony creations, they tend to be of the negative kind. (Based around several OCs. OC submissions open, but MUST be detailed. Reviews are appreciated.)


**After a brony friend of mine decided, "Oh, hey, we should all have personal OCs!", he gave me the inspiration to write this story. It'll be based around a few OCs' viewpoints. I'm going to pour all of my writing knowledge and imagination into this. I do hope you'll enjoy it. Feel free to submit an OC. I'll post a list of all OCs featured every five chapters or so.**

The manticore was beginning to annoy Swift. Just a little bit.

She had no idea how long she had been running, nor how far she had gone. All she knew was that going into the Everfree Forest was a mistake.

Her light-blue coat was shimmering with sweat, and all four of her legs had been scratched multiple times by the creeping boughs of the ancient and positively eerie trees that she'd been ducking and weaving between for what seemed like hours. Moisture matted strands of her grey mane to her forehead, and on more than one occasion, she had had to flick it out of her eyes.

Hooves pounding against outstretched roots and clods of overgrown turf, the panting unicorn burst through the undergrowth.

She had only survived this long because of the fear thumping in her chest. After leaping from path to path, particularly through thicker sections of the shrubs and bushes, the manticore was struggling to keep up. Whenever it got close, Swift darted away with a burst of renewed energy. Every time it lunged with a ferocious roar that shook the leaves from the trees, the razor-sharp claws barely grazed her; she kept on moving. But she couldn't keep going for much longer. Soon, she'd collapse from exhaustion, and the manticore would kill her. Simple as that.

Where to run? Her emerald eyes flickered over her surroundings. Normally, if the manticore was a friendly pony, she would have enjoyed the sense of adventure that the forest brung to her. With only the light of her horn to thinly illuminate the dense mists and gnarled branches and trunks, the experience would have been exhilarating. Who knows, she might have even managed to stumble across some decrepit ruins. But, alas, she had the opportunity stolen away from her by the blasted beast.

Not hearing the unmistakable sounds of a hungry manticore creeping up on her, or the heavy footfalls of it continuing the chase, Swift took the opportunity to gulp in lungfuls of oxygen, slowing to a halt amongst the trees. A vague unease blossomed in her gut; anything could be nestled amongst the shadows, waiting for the next meal. Mindful of the area around her, Swift tentatively inspected her hooves. Aside from the stinging of slim slits along the sides, there was noting to be concerned about.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she quickly set her horn aglow with a soft, pale green light that bounced off the foliage, peering into the distance. The dew-soaked path shimmered with a strange haze. Further ahead, the view had been swallowed by a wall of fog. The azure unicorn shook her head in annoyance.

Should she risk it?

She had no idea whatsoever where in Tartarus she was. It was tempting to just run and hope that luck was on her side, that she would emerge safe and sound back where she started. Really tempting. Save for her shallow breathing, and the gentle _whump_s of her hooves as she shifted, weighing up her options, there was no sound at all. The manticore must have given up.

Her short, rugged tail twitched. With a sharp intake of breath, Swift's eyes darted around in the murky prison of trees. Some ponies rely on their guts to warn them of a problem, but Swift trusted in her tail. If it twitched, there was danger nearby.

Danger nearby...

A harsh whistle of air from the shadows was her only warning, and with a cry of alarm she bolted backwards, the pointy needle of the manticore's tail skimming past her face with centimetres to spare. She staggered backwards. The leering face of the manticore grinned out from the amidst the shade, reaching out with an outstretched, almost beckoning claw.

With a gulp, still backing away, and now without any more energy to retreat, Swift glared upwards at the predator with a mixture of awe and horror, not noticing the grasping roots behind her. She felt herself fall backwards helplessly, and landed squarely on her rump in the grass with a muffled _whumph_.

The sound of feral chuckling filled Swift's ears, and she saw red.

"Why can't you just leave me alone, you Tartarus-cursed, Celestia-damned... thing!" She shouted at the beast, in the hopes of disorientating it momentarily. Her plan worked.

Speeding away with new-found determination, she simply ran without direction, all the while screaming out for help with her head lowered. Come on, she thought, somepony better hear me! The sound battered at the manticore, and it growled in frustration at being tricked, smashing its way through the forest with thoughtless abandon, fury driving it towards her.

The heavy, furious grunts spurred her on, and she increased her speed in one last desperate attempt, eyes fixed on the glowing sanctuary of the outside that lay beyond the last few trees. Behind her, the beast got closer...

And closer...

Not that far now! She could see the very last leaves obscuring freedom and safety, and pounded towards them, her legs becoming slack. An unbelievably loud, final roar of fury burst from the toothy maw of the manticore, and Swift felt something, a branch maybe, drag across her side as she ploughed through the treeline, not bothering to look back. As the bright sunlight hit her, and the astonishing heat of the day washed over her coat, she felt her eyelids drop.

The last things she was aware of before her body gave out on her were the scents of midsummer blossom and grass, and a single, bone-jarring impact as she collapsed to the ground. Eyelids fluttering, and chest heaving, Swift numbly felt herself being turned over, and the worried, voiceless tone of a pony above her. Then, all was black.

Dimly, a spark of awareness ignited deep within the slumbering form of Swift. Like being submerged into a deep river, she slowly regained her senses. Firstly, she realised that she had been found. Next was the comforting warmth of something draped over her. Suddenly feeling drowsy again, the unicorn forced herself to open her eyelids, which were securely latched shut. After several attempts, she managed to blink, clearing away the mask of sleep.

Then, she felt something soft holding tight around her midsection, constricting her movement somewhat. She ignored it. With another blink, she took in her surroundings. She was, as far as Swift could tell, in a house. More specifically, a cottage. Enough bird cages hung across and from the roof to house a small avian army. Multitudes of food bowls were scattered across the floor. Once she raised herself up stiffly, pulling herself out of the blanket slightly, she could see more.

The windows were open wide, letting in the fresh, crisp summer air. Various tabletops hosted a variety of wildflowers, attracting several bees into the room. On the wall hung a framed picture of two butterflies, framed against a curved rainbow. Curious, Swift sat up further. Now, she could see that she had been laid across a plush sofa, and she nodded to herself silently.

Not bad.

The clack of hoofsteps on wood alerted her to another pony's presence, and she turned to face the sound.

"Oh! I didn't realise you were awake... How are you feeling?" A butter-yellow pegasus with a pair of the kindest blue eyes that Swift had ever seen was smiling at her. As soon as Swift met her gaze, however, she averted her eyes towards the floor. And promptly hid behind her styled petal-pink mane. "I'm sorry... was I disturbing you?"

Swift couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, and attempt to sit up further. As soon as she did so, a lance of burning agony spread through her, and she crumpled back into the sofa, moaning incoherently. Her eyelids fluttered. A groan pushed its way out of her lips, and the pegasus sprung towards her.

"Oh my gosh... Are you alright?" She asked, all former shyness forgotten.

Taking a few deep breaths, Swift coughed weakly. "I'm good."

"You most certainly are not!" With a gasp, the mare covered her mouth with a perfectly rounded hoof. Taking note of the couch-bound pony's expression of disbelief, she removed it; placing it lightly on Swift's stomach area without apprehension. Hissing, the azure unicorn inched away, but the mare was relentless. After what seemed like an eternity of pain, it gradually subsided into a dull throb. Swift licked her dry lips and looked up.

Something behind the mare caught her eye, and she frowned at it. A pile of blood smeared bandages. The pegasus followed her eyes with an air of worry. With a nonchalant shrug, Swift turned her attention back to the mare.

"What are the bandages for?"

As if she were ashamed, the other pony hid again; scuffing the floor lightly with a hoof and muttering under her breath, her eyes never leaving Swift.

With a wince, Swift pushed the blanket all the way back to her flank, and peered closely at the bandages. Obviously fresh, the pristine white fabric revealed nothing of an injury. With a heavy growl, she tugged away at the surface with her mouth for a few moments, grinding the linen between her teeth.

_Wait a second. Why am I doing this?_

Spitting out the bandage, Swift began to attack with renewed vigor, using her magic to lightly tug at it. As she did, she felt something rear its ugly head deep inside her: fear, of what had happened and what she'd find. As soon as her pale, sparkling, green-as-grass aura touched the edge of the bandage, the until-now silent pegasus leapt at her, breaking her concentration.

"No! You'll hurt yourself more!"

"How?"

"You'll reopen the wound, and cause more bleeding. Don't try it again... if that's all right with you..."

"Fine. I suppose you know better." Swift didn't feel the words leaving her mouth; she was focusing on eliminating the foul knot in her stomach at the word _wound_. Just what had she done? As her eyes flickered across her coat, and zipped along the surface of the constricting fabric, she couldn't help but ask, "So, how big is it?"

"Unfortunately, pretty big. It goes from just before your... erm...flank..." She mumbled off, her cheeks rosy. Swift rotated a hoof in a rough circle, in a _go on_ gesture. "I...uh...to the left side your ribcage..."

"Uh huh..." Swift bit her lip, glancing down at her forementioned posterior.

_So the manticore did get me after all... I'm lucky to be alive..._

Comprehension dawned on her features, and she snapped her attention back to the pegasus.

"I owe you one... I can't believe the manticore got me..."

"M-Manticore?"

Swift raised an eyebrow. "What do you think caused it? Yeah, I made the mistake of...er... _running_ into Everfree, and then into the Celestia-forsaken manticore."

"Er... Could you please not swear? I mean, if that's okay..."

"Of course. My apologies...?"

"Uh... I'm Fluttershy..." Fluttershy trailed off towards the end, becoming quieter. Holding out a hoof from where she was sitting, Swift smiled at her.

"I'm Swift. Swift Sketch, really, but that's a mouthful. Thanks again for everything, Fluttershy. I owe you one." Swift's hoof was met with a delicate but equally firm hoofshake as Fluttershy returned the gesture, albeit recoiling afterwards. As the azure unicorn retracted her hoof, she added: "So where are we, if you don't mind me asking?"

"You're uhm... in Ponyville. Why?-If you don't mind me asking..."

Swift savoured the name, remembering distant Equestrian Geography lessons wherein, to be honest, she didn't pay attention. It was at the foot of the... Foal Mountains, she thought, with Canterlot standing watch high above. It was also home to several notable landmarks, that ironically, she couldn't remember. Oh well.

"Hmm." With this, Swift's horn flared up, and she disappeared in a blaze of jade light, only to reappear standing up, directly in front of Fluttershy. The sudden change in placement and the movement of matter made the air crack as if a whip had struck it, the sound echoing throughout the small, homely cottage. Immediately, Swift cringed at the sound of undescribable multitudes of paws and legs pattering away in retreat, and sheepishly looked around at Fluttershy.

The light-gold mare pawed at the floor again, partially hiding behind her mane. Nevertheless, her tone was somewhat forced. "Please, don't use magic. If you don't mind, that is... It.. uhm... scares the animals..." She trailed off, becoming quieter and quieter with each word, until she reached the point of mumbling incoherently.

"Oops. Sorry, Fluttershy." Swift said through clenched teeth; the blood rushing to her head as pressure was equalized. She swayed slightly on her hooves for a moment. Finally, blinking back the blurriness, she gave Fluttershy an inquisitive look. "I don't suppose I'm fine to walk around?"

"Actually, you are. I stitched up the cut, so you should be fine... Just... be careful- i-if that's okay with you..." And with a nod from Swift, the reserved pegasus returned to her daily schedule, leaving the bandaged unicorn alone.

_Okay... I have to take it easy. One step at a time, _she thought to herself, peeking out the window. _Time to have a look around Ponyville!_

**So... This is a thing...**

**Yep. It's a thing.**


End file.
